Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators - Thursday January 23 - 7:00 p.m. - Sportsnet Pacific, Fox Sports Tennessee
Vancouver Canucks 26-16-9 61 points fourth in Pacific Division Nashville Predators 22-22-7 51 points sixth in Central Division
The Vancouver Canucks will get another chance to grab a win against a Western Conference foe that sits below them in the standings when the Nashville Predators visit Rogers Arena on Thursday night.
The game's the first of four at home in seven nights before the Canucks hit the road for five ahead of the Olympic break.
After narrow wins over Calgary and Edmonton, Vancouver fans will be hoping for more of the same against a Nashville team that's in transition.
With No. 1 goalie Pekka Rinne on the shelf since October after a hip operation turned into a hip infection, the Preds pulled the trigger last week and acquired Devan Dubnyk from Edmonton—although why they didn't just pick up Ben Scrivens for a third-rounder, I'll never know.
Then, on Wednesday they shipped reliable defenseman Kevin Klein off to the New York Rangers in exchange for Michael Del Zotto.
For Nashville's part, the move seems to be mostly about swapping a right-side defenseman for someone who can play on the left. It's a vote of confidence for rookie Seth Jones, who's been playing the right side in the second pairing behind Shea Weber, as well as for Ryan Ellis. When he's on his game, Del Zotto's also a more dynamic offensive player. The Preds are hoping he can help the team score a few more goals.
Del Zotto is expected to be in the lineup against the Canucks tonight.
This will be Nashville's only visit to Vancouver this season; I'm interested in seeing Jones live for the first time tonight. The 19-year-old has four goals and 18 points through 51 games and is averaging nearly 21 minutes a night, which I guess is why it's okay that he's a minus-19—the worst plus-minus on a struggling team.
The Preds are 4-4-2 in their last 10 games while the Canucks are 3-5-2, and have won three of their last four. They've scored four goals in each of those four contests, including their 5-4 loss to Colorado, so the "offensively challenged" Nashville team is on fire compared to what we've been seeing from the Canucks.
Team Switzerland Olympian and left-side blueliner Roman Josi is currently the hottest hand for Nashville, with six points in his last four games.
As for the Canucks, Brad Richardson didn't practice yesterday after taking a slash to the leg in the third period against the Oilers, but should be good to go tonight:
Sullivan said Brad Richardson is Ok after slash on leg on Wednesday in Edmonton. Maintenance day today.
— Jim Jamieson (@JamiesonCanucks) January 22, 2014Kellan Lain should draw in for his third straight start. How will he follow up his first NHL goal from Edmonton?
The Canucks announced on Thursday morning that Jordan Schroeder has been sent to join the Utica Comets for a conditioning assignment, meaning the beleaguered centre should be one step closer to getting back into the lineup. Schroeder played just three games this season before suffering an ankle injury on October 19. Conveniently, the Comets are out in the valley playing the Abbotsford Heat this weekend, so Schroeder will just have to get himself over the Port Mann Bridge in order to finally log some playing time.
To wrap up today, is it just me, or does it feel like #FreeTorts is already old news? I guess the relatively straightforward win in Edmonton calmed the waves a bit. To me, it feels like tonight will be just another game at the Rog. I'll be interested to see if there's any sort of fan reaction to the events of the last week.
Quick Hits:
- I know it would be more fun to take offense at Brian Burke saying the Canucks "started" the line brawl last Saturday, but I'm not too fussed about it. The comments sound like they were a throwaway to a university audience in the midst of a discussion about making one's way in the legal profession. Click here to track back to the original story, from the University of Calgary's UToday website.
Burke will always publicly stand behind his coach, so questioning Bob Hartley's $25,000 fine is just checking off one more item on Burke's to-do list. I'd bet, after publicly questioning his team's toughness just before the game last weekend, Burke's more than satisfied with how things went down.
- It sounds like reality TV missed out on a golden dramatic opportunity, as I've heard that the NHL Revealed cameras were not on hand to capture the fun against the Flames. We'll get our chance on Friday to see how the narrative arc of the program will unfold. The debut episode of the seven-part series aired Wednesday in the U.S. and at 9:00 p.m.
- The announcement of this year's B.C. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees is underway Thursday morning at Rogers Arena. Congratulations to Kirk McLean and all the other nominees!